The Mavericks are expected to move on from embattled president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who reports (via Twitter) that Harrison’s dismissal is viewed as “imminent.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon (Twitter link) confirm Stein’s reporting, stating that Harrison is expected to be let go at a 10:00 am Central time meeting on Tuesday.
MacMahon said on Monday that he believed it was a matter of “when, not if” Harrison will be fired, indicating that governor Patrick Dumont‘s trust in the Mavs’ top basketball executive has “disintegrated.” Christian Clark of The Athletic echoed that reporting this morning, writing that Harrison’s exit was considered inevitable.
Harrison helped construct the Mavericks roster that advanced to the NBA Finals in 2024, making key deals for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford during that season. However, he has made several missteps since then, starting with February’s shocking trade sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers, which incited a revolt among fans in Dallas.
While the Doncic blockbuster has overshadowed the rest of the Mavs’ recent moves, Harrison has made other questionable roster decisions within the past year, including another 2025 deadline deal that sent Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia for Caleb Martin. That trade moved the Mavs so close to a hard cap that they were unable to add any reinforcements – even on 10-day contracts – when their roster was decimated by injuries during the second half.
After missing the playoffs in the spring, the Mavericks were thrown a lifeline with a long-shot draft lottery win — they claimed the No. 1 overall pick despite having just a 1.8% chance and used that selection to draft top prospect Cooper Flagg. However, while Flagg figures to be the long-term franchise player in Dallas, his arrival hasn’t helped turn things around in the short term.
The Mavs are off to a 3-8 start this season, with a 2-6 record at home, where fans have frequently regaled the team with “Fire Nico” chants. As MacMahon writes for ESPN, that chant bubbled up several times during Monday’s loss to the Bucks, which was the first game Dumont had attended since the regular season opener.
More to come…